Succulents and More™

Twelve years ago, in 2014, I had the opportunity to visit a garden in Portland, Oregon that was so remarkable that it stuck with me all this time. It even had a name: Floramagoria, a portmanteau combining flora and phantasmagoria (according to Merriam-Webster , “an exhibition of optical effects and illusions,” “a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined,” or “a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection, or assemblage”). Floramagoria was the private space of Craig Quirk and Larry Neill. It was a classic example of a mullet garden — business in the front, party in the back. The front, the public-facing side, featured fairly muted conservative plantings in line with the neighborhood’s architectural character. But once you passed through the gate into the backyard, boy howdy: What an explosion of exotic plants, bold colors, and eclectic art! To see for yourself, check out my blog post from 2015, Loree’s post from 2019, and especially this detailed (and beaut...

Just a few days ago , I showed you photos of Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ in full bloom. Between two stems, there were 18 flowers. You can see most of them in this photo: Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ in all its glory After the peak, the flowers were fading fast, but everything was OK otherwise: Flowers fading fast You know where this is going, right? In a year of unpleasant surprises, here’s another one — and it’s one that hurts: What I found a couple of days after The tallest stem had snapped off towards the bottom, presumably because of the weight of the flowers. Not all is lost though. I made a clean cut and will re-root the top part. In warm weather, new roots should form within 4-6 weeks. With any luck, the re-rooted stem will flower normally next year. I’ll also leave the bottom part in the ground in hopes it will either branch or produce new offsets — more little ‘Flying Saucers’ to plant elsewhere in the garden or give away. And finally.... A quick update on the greenhouse rat sit...

A couple of days ago, the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society (SCSS) went on a field trip to the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory . I’ve been there many times before, but it’s been a while since my last visit and there were quite a few things I hadn’t seen before. That’s probably why I took so many photos — although I seem to take a lot of photos no matter what. According to their website , “The UC Davis Botanical Conservatory is home to a diverse collection of over 4,000 plant species from around the world, providing a unique space for education, research, and conservation. Our greenhouse showcases rare and unusual plants from tropical rainforests, arid deserts, and carnivorous habitats, offering visitors a hands-on experience with plant adaptations and biodiversity.” The Botanical Conservatory does a lot of outreach to UC Davis students (check out their webisodes here ), but I continue to be surprised by how many regular Davis residents don’t even know it exists — and that inclu...